Mayor Phyllis Miller was there to congratulate the ladies, stating that the initiative is “a great opportunity to recognise the invaluable contribution that volunteers make to enrich our community.”

New residents of Forbes were welcomed last Friday evening at the biannual Welcome to Forbes Reception hosted by the Forbes Shire Council.

New residents of Forbes gathered last Friday evening for the biannual Welcome to Forbes Reception, hosted by the Forbes Shire Council. The recent arrivals mingled with long-time locals and community leaders while enjoying great food and music at the Forbes Sport and Recreation Club.

Mayor Phyllis Miller was there to meet new residents of Forbes, along with other council members. It was evident in her welcome speech that Mayor Miller shares in the pride that Forbes residents have, stating “Forbes is the love of my life. It is a place that gives it’s residents the opportunity to realise their dreams”. This was a sentiment shared by many of the locals in attendance on the night. Mayor Miller’s speech concluded with the gifting of vouchers to the newcomers, to be redeemed at local retailers.

As the evening progressed, guests shared their experiences of relocating, as well as how and why they had come to Forbes. Some of the guests had come from other countries and some had come from other states and cities in Australia, some had settled here decades ago, whereas others had only come a few months ago.

The Welcome to Forbes event is a fantastic initiative taken by the Forbes Shire Council which gives the opportunity for newcomers to become better acquainted with local people, organisations, community groups as well as the culture of Forbes in general, hopefully resulting in a smoother and happier transition into country life.

By Alexandria Irvine

Vice-president of the Forbes RSL sub-branch Neil Biddle led the Remembrance Day service on Monday in Victoria Park.

At 11am on Monday the nation paused for Remembrance Day, marking the 101st anniversary of the Armistice that ended the First World War on 11th November 1918.

Between 1914 and 1918 a newly federated Australia sent 414,000 of their citizens to face the horrors of modern industrialised war. By 1918, almost 62,000 Australians lay dead among the mud and destruction of the trenches in Europe and on the sands of Sinai, Palestine and Syria, never to return to their loved ones back home.

On 11th November, at 11am, people all over the world observe a minutes silence in memory of those who have died or suffered in war and on peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, a tradition the Australian War Memorial continued at its National Ceremony in Canberra as well as in towns and cities all over Australia.

In Forbes around 200 residents including ex-servicemen and their families, members of community groups and schools, both young and old gathered in Victoria Park to lay wreaths at the Cenotaph and observe a minutes silence. This was concluded by the playing of the Last Post. Neil Biddle, Vice President of Forbes RSL sub-branch gave an emotive and moving address to those gathered for the service and representatives from Forbes High School and Red Bend Catholic College read the names of local servicemen who had died in conflict.

New and expectant mothers make a splash on Tuesday morning at the start of the free aqua fitness sessions at the Forbes Olympic pool. Photo: Leigh Barry

Another season of Aqua fitness kicked off on Tuesday with new and expectant mothers braving an unusually chilly November morning to exercise in the water.

The ladies gathered at the Forbes Olympic pool just before 9am for the free lessons, for the first of two, six-week sessions held by the School and Community Centre (SACC) and NSW community health.

“The program aims at engaging new and expectant mothers, a couple times a week, in gentle water exercise,” said Marie from SACC.

Running since 2015, aqua fitness is an initiative which “reduces barriers to access” and further reduces excuses to exercise. Health and fitness are vital for both physical and mental wellbeing, and new mothers often miss out on the opportunity to exercise and socialise in a structured and safe environment where their children are being looked after.

Dust looms in the background of the Forbes Kennel Club Championship.

Despite the wild weather welcoming guests from near and far, the Forbes Kennel Club hosted their three-day All Breeds Championship at the Kennel Club Grounds last weekend.

The show attracted 300 competitors along with their humans and featured a delightfully wide variety of Instagram-worthy dogs competing in a range of classes across the three days. They came from as far as Queensland, Victoria and South Australia.

The Club also hosted three interstate judges, flying them in from Victoria and South Australia for the event. Competitors were in high spirits, undeterred by the raging dust storm on the opening day of the show, parading their prized companions before judges who issued a trophy and sash to the winners of each group.